Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca

Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca was--no reliable confirmation exists-- born around 1490 and died about 1557.

In the year 1527 Cabeza de Vaca sailed on a Spanish ship to Florida, which then included part of Mexico, as part of an ill-fated expedition to conquer it. He ended up leaving Florida to sail to Texas on a raft. After a harrowing journey by raft, he and a few survivors then made their way overland from Texas to Mexico City after spending time being both rescued and enslaved by Indians.

Cabeza de Vaca later explored the Paraguay River in South America and became a governor. He was the first European to see Texas and was also among the first to see the American buffalo.